Huckleberry Finn's Escape From SocietyNicole Krasnov11th Grade

Mark Twain’s novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, describes the journey of a boy named Huck and a runaway slave, Jim, heading down the Mississippi river in hope of freedom. While Jim is trying to free his family and escape slavery, Huck wants to break away from his former life. With the many experiences had throughout the novel, on land and water, Huck finds himself determined to escape what he has come to know as “sivilization.” Huck first sees the human corruption in his father, the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons, and the supposed Duke and Dauphin. This is Twain's way of showing his loss of hope in society and the cruelty of humanity. Huck doesn’t want to be “sivilized” because he doesn’t want to be part of such a cruel people.

Coming from an abusive home, Huck sees the cruelties of humanity early on. With his father being a violent, abusive drunk, Huck no longer considers him as essential to his family life. “Pap he hadn't been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn't want to see him no more. He used to always whale me when he was sober and could get his hands on me; though I used to take to the woods most of the time when he was around.” (Ch....